Grateful Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve! I'm on the road right now, making our winding way north many hours to my mother-in-law's house. It's supposed to be raining right now too, so wish us luck, but those rain drops should change to flurries by tomorrow morning. Obviously I've pre-written this post, scheduled for this Christmas Eve morning, as I'm too busy counting hawks perched on lonely fence posts somewhere in the Arkansas/Missouri delta to write this (not to mention reading or writing in the car, or anything other than sleep that takes my eyes off the road, will make me puke).

This will be my last post until Monday at least. I have my laptop with me, but I don't plan on opening it except in work-related emergencies, and while I can read all your lovely comments from my phone's browser, I do not plan on tip-tapping out a whole post on that tiny virtual keyboard.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Holly Jolly Holidays, Joyous Festivus, or Happy Whatever it is that you celebrate or don't celebrate (just have a good day), and I will return next week a few pounds heavier and much more well-rested.

1) Good friends. This week I've been able to celebrate with my coworkers, who I count as friends, my other friends at our tacky party, and still more friends at a different party. My coworkers are all fantastic people who care about their work and this company, and it's a pleasure to work with them. The office party was a riot, especially the White Elephant exchange. My "tacky" friends, the ones we've made over the last few years at the baseball games we attend in the spring, are a mix of intelligent and silly, boisterous and reserved, thoughtful and wild. I think it's this mix that makes us such a close knit group. We all have our spots to fill, and no one else would fit. And our old friends, the ones we've held close since early days of college-- even though they're having kids and moving into a stage of life my husband and I are not ready to experience, getting together with them is like reversing the clock, and there's nothing like spending time with someone who knows you so well and yet still loves you.

2) Family. Regardless of the argument with my little brother, I am thankful for all the experiences I've had with my family. My older brother seems to be getting himself together, fingers crossed. My parents are happier than they've been in a while with more freedom to travel when and where they want. My husband's family gets along so well, and I fit right in. I've only once or twice had a "mother-in-law" moment where I worried she and I were going to butt heads, but in the end we've found we have more in common than not. His brother and sister have become my brother and sister. I can't imagine being more grateful than I am for such a large, diverse, and loving family.

3) Peace and joy. Despite how busy I've been jumping from party to party, this week has left me feeling so far very peaceful and loved. I have so many people in my life who love me and who I love, and I fully recognize how lucky and blessed I am for that. I enjoy my job and my coworkers, my home life is everything I want it to be, I have great friends, I'm financially secure, my health and the health of those I love is good... what else do I need? What else could I ask for? Nothing.

All I want for Christmas is for everyone else to feel as blessed and complete as I feel.